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Critical Minerals and Materials: US Department of Energy's Strategy to Support Domestic Critical Mineral and Material Supply Chains

Last updated: 26 October 2022

To meet Executive Order 13953 of 30 September 2020 the US Department of Energy (DOE) created this strategy document describing the objective, goals and organisational methods that DOE will employ to mitigate the national critical minerals and materials challenge.

Having identified critical minerals and materials as central pieces of the US economy and national security, a number of government bodies are, as of 2021, working towards assured and resilient supply of critical materials. The strategy relies on three key pillars: diversifying supply, developing substitutes and improving reuse and recycling. The vision for this strategy is to re-establish US competitiveness in critical mineral and material supply chains.

This document details the required steps, actions and tools needed to reach 4 primary goals:

  • Driving scientific innovation and developing technologies that will ensure resilient and secure critical mineral and material supply chains independent of foreign adversaries: actions include the development of a roadmap, partnerships with private actors and investment;
  • Catalysing and supporting private sector adoption and capacity for sustainable domestic critical mineral and material supply chains: actions include increasing private industry investment, improving joint public-private research, identifying and fostering the development of market-viable solutions;
  • Building the long-term minerals and materials innovation ecosystem–fostering new capabilities to mitigate future critical mineral and material supply chain challenges: actions include the development of a robust criticality analysis framework, improving mapping of critical mineral and material deposits, improving the assessment of supply chains, and strengthening the national workforce; and
  • Coordinating with international partners and allies and other Federal agencies to diversify global supply chains and ensure the adoption of best practices for sustainable mining and processing: actions include developing a cross-agency understanding of the matter, and collaborating with international partners to establish global industry standards.

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